Apple TV gets its top billing, adds Red Bull branded channel

In the past, if you wanted to buy a $99 Apple TV streaming box from Apple, you had to work a little to find it in the company’s online store. It was stuck back in the iPod section, the e-commerce equivalent of being on an secluded end-cap display near the back of a retail store.

But now Apple has dramatically raised the profile of Apple TV, giving the device its own page and a coveted category position at the very top of its online store’s home page.

The Apple TV page now includes “accessories,” including HDMI cables (the box doesn’t come with one), the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express routers and high-end AirPlay-capable speakers, among other items. And for the budget-minded – there’s now a category for refurbished Apple TVs that sell for $75, or about one-fourth off the list price.

9to5Mac reports that the change comes along with a slew of rumors abouta pending upgrade to Apple TV. The site quoted sources last week as saying the next version will allow it to run apps, just as the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch do, with a big focus on gaming.

But that may just be the tip of the iceberg, writes 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman:

We’re told that Apple has considered combining the Apple TV and AirPort Express products. Versions of the new Apple TV in testing are said to include an integrated 802.11ac wireless router.

Although our sources were unspecific on the reasoning behind this, it’s likely that video quality and stability would be improved versus older versions of the device, which have needed to connect to a separate wireless router, often in another room.

Putting everything in one box could make the overall experience simpler, while allowing the router to deliver peak video performance for the Apple TV and de-prioritizing other wireless traffic as necessary.

Gurman also says that the gaming component will use other iOS devices as controllers – imagine controlling a racing game with your iPhone – and it may also have its own TV tuner. That could allow Apple TV to replace the interface for your cable TV channels.

There’s no word from Gurman on whether existing versions of Apple TV would get some of these new features via a software upgrade. But Apple continues to bulk up its current offering with new content.

The company added on Monday a new channel, Red Bull TV. The channel has music, sports and other lifestyle video aimed at promoting the energy drink’s image. The channel has no ads, other than the constant background hum that it’s all brought to you by Red Bull. (You can hide this and any other non-interesting channel by going to Settings > General > Restrictions.)

The changes would make Apple TV more competitive with gaming consoles from Microsoft and Sony that also aim to be a living room entertainment hub. But they could also make a simple, incredibly friendly device a lot more complex. Mobile gaming is incredibly popular on iPhones and iPads, but will these kinds of games translate well to, say, a 55-inch HDTV that’s not touch-compatible? Or will developers be required to create all-new versions of the games to work on Apple TV?

The upgrade would definitely give Apple TV an advantage when buyers are trying to decide between it and other streaming boxes, such as the Roku.

As is usually the case, there’s no indication just when this new Apple TV will drop, but the device is long overdue for a refresh. The current version was released in spring 2012, so it’s coming up on two years. While Apple has added many new features via software updates, that’s still an eternity in the fast-moving world of personal electronics. Expect to see a new Apple TV sooner rather than later.